Continuing on the theme of double standards, it is outrageous that so many people still believe that the organization called the State is a source for good in the world despite how many deaths (not to mention destruction to property, emotional pain and lost economic opportunities) are directly attributable to State activities. For example: http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM.
Those same people also believe that the free market is a source of evil in the world despite the fact that most people, including the ones killed by the State, would never have existed in the first place had it not been for free markets.
And when you point out these facts to them the look in their eyes is one of impervious disregard!
Daniel Muffinburg - "… That Ron Paul is a neo-liberal. "
Please clarify. Why is this a peeve? Is it because he is not an anarcho-Capitalist? By “neo-liberal”, do you mean he supports limited government as opposed to no government?
Yeah, I wasn’t clear. My pet peeve is that many lefties call Ron Paul a neo-liberal.
The state can be reformed!
Daniel Muffinburg - “…neo-liberal…”
Now I understand what you are getting at…after reading their definition of “neo-liberal”, where to I go to vomit?
Neoliberalism, to the best of my knowledge, is a softcore version of neoconservatism marketed in political economies where pro-US foreign policies are not looked upon kindly, and with a touch of bastardized Chicago school economics. It also has a strong tendency towards centralisation and globalism for the purposes of benefiting favoured multinationals. It is opposed to both protectionism and free trade, preaching “global governance” of international markets as the key to prosperity in the third world.
There is a neoliberal party in my country, one of whose main members, an economist (ironically, formerly of the social-democrat party) who helped liberalize the country into being consistently ranked near the top in most indexes of both economic and political freedom, was recently caught out, along with several other legislators, using his position to get extravagant travel expenses paid off. It’s leader has become particularily well known in my city due to his plan to bring the city, which is currently divided into borough-like subdivisions with their own mayors, councils and bylaws, into a singular supercity, with much of the decision making (well, even more) being made by unelected advisors rather than elected officials.
Annoying thing #2: The way people look at enron, the bildeberg group, the fed, blackwater, etc. and all claim that they are free market and need more government regulation!
Annoying thing #3: The way people get all teary-eyed and patriotic during national holidays celebrating our “freedoms”. It’s like, “hello, haven’t you noticed ‘our freedoms’ today are half as much as ‘our freedoms’ yesterday?” Of course you can never say this out of fear of offending people plus, it would mark you as a “liberal” or an “america-hater” -certainly not the land of the logical or the home of the prudent.
Anyone employed in a third world factory is a slave.
“Anyone employed in a third world factory is a slave.”
How so?
I think he’s saying that that’s his pet peeve.
Invariably followed by: “We just need to elect the right people!”